Oxy USA, Inc.

Year Submitted: 2003

Process: Petroleum Production

Industry: Chemical Manufacturing

Wastes Reduced: Plastic

Substance: Oil and Gas

Equipment: Drilling fluid systems

Location: Tulsa OK

Description:

Is a large oil and gas production company, a subsidiary of Occidental Oil and Gas Corp. and Occidental Petroleum Corp. The proposed well site was located on lands which were directly adjacent to the Tishomingo Wildlife Refuge.

P2 Application:

The pollution prevention project centered around an exploration well in Johnston County, OK, drilled on land owned by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Some of the P2 measures instituted in the drilling of the well were: Drill site entirely enclosed with a berm capaple of holding several times the volume of liquids stored on location plus any anticipated precipitation; Location pad and berm were built with an impermeable clay base, the area under the drilling rig itself was protected by a 30 ml plastic liner, a smaller casing was selected which allowed for the use of a 25% smaller hole and generated lesser amounts of cuttings and used smaller amounts of drilling fluids; A closed loop mud system was instituted which allowed for reuse of drilling fluids and use of smaller quantities of water for dilution of the mud to control viscosity and density; Compressed air was used as the drilling fluid where possible, this allowed for the use of smaller quantities of water and drilling fluid in the drilling fluid system.

Environmental Benefits:

The hole size reduction, use of air drilling, and closed loop system resulted in waste reduction of nearly 1.5 million pounds. Low toxicity additives allowed for the land application of the used drilling fluids and cuttings. Reduced hole size resulted in fewer environmental impacts, as did the use of air drillings. Building the location with the capability of containing all liquids reduces the potential for pollution.